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BB RECRUITING

Michigan State basketball makes top 6 for 4-star SG Jonathan Powell

MSU has made the cut for an elite shooting guard.

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Michigan State basketball
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Michigan State basketball has made the cut for one of the top shooting guards in the 2024 recruiting class.

Tom Izzo is red-hot right now. The Hall of Fame Michigan State basketball coach signed the No. 4 recruiting class in the country for 2023 and he isn’t slowing down any time soon.

Not only does he have a top-five class coming in, but he is also off to a heck of a start in 2024 with four-stars Jesse McCulloch and Kur Teng committed.

Could he soon add another pledge?

Four-star combo guard Jase Richardson has spoken about narrowing his list soon and Michigan State is one of his top options, but another guard that has flown under the radar is four-star Jonathan Powell. The Dayton, Ohio, native is one of the better guards in the class with great size (6-foot-6, 170 pounds) and he fits the Izzo mold.

On Tuesday afternoon, he released a list of his top six schools, and Michigan State made the cut.

Ohio State may be the biggest threat here for the Spartans as the Buckeyes went head-to-head with Izzo for Devin Royal in the 2023 class before Chris Holtmann won that battle. He’s an Ohio kid, so staying home to play for the Buckeyes wouldn’t be a huge shock.

Still, the Spartans are right there with Ohio State as well as Indiana, Xavier, Clemson, and Virginia Tech.

In fact, in an interview with Brandon Jenkins of 247Sports, Powell spoke highly of Michigan State and said he’s “getting close” with the staff every day.

“I just love the coaches and everything that they do. Ever since they have offered me, they have been building a connection with me every day. I am getting closer with them. It is an amazing program.”

That has to make Michigan State fans feel good about their chances with Powell, although there’s a long way to go potentially.

Powell is ranked the No. 95 overall recruit and 19th-best shooting guard in the 2024 class, according to 247Sports. He would be a nice addition to the Spartans’ top-10 class.

BB RECRUITING

Michigan State basketball prioritizing 5-star SG Isaiah Elohim

Elohim would be a heck of a 2024 addition.

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Michigan State basketball
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Michigan State basketball is one of six schools reaching out the most to five-star shooting guard Isaiah Elohim.

In a tweet from 24/7 High School Hoopsit was recently revealed that Michigan State basketball, among five other programs, is showing plenty of interest in highly-ranked shooting guard Isaiah Elohim from California.

The 6-foot-5, 190-pound Elohim isn’t an athletic freak like Coen Carr, but has excellent size, speed, and athleticism regardless. He also has a good shot and excels at scoring the ball from around the court. It’s easy to envision him being the kind of guy in the future who can drop a flurry of jumpers and take over a game.

Elohim is currently attending Sierra Canyon in Los Angeles, Calif. This is big-time basketball school that has produced plenty of NBA talent, including Kenyon Martin Jr. and current Detroit Piston Marvin Bagley. It’s also the same school that Bronny James attended. The fact that Elohim was able to excel at such a prestigious basketball school (against excellent competition) gives me plenty of confidence that he can translate to the next level.

Tom Izzo will have to beat out other big-name programs such as Kansas, UCLA, Duke, Kentucky, and Baylor (who have also reportedly been showing interest) for the top-20 ranked shooting guard. Michigan State just capped off a top-five ranked class for 2023, but keeping the recruiting hot streak going for 2024 would be massive for the program. The more five-stars you have, the more five-stars you get — talent wants to play with talent.

Look for a visit to be scheduled soon.

It might be time for Izzo to land his latest five-star.

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BB RECRUITING

Coen Carr throws down incredible free throw line dunk (Video)

Coen Carr is a freak.

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Coen Carr
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Coen Carr flashed his elite athleticism once again, throwing down a dunk from the free throw line this weekend.

Incoming MSU freshman forward Coen Carr has displayed his extreme athleticism all offseason. It seems like every week a new video surfaces of him doing something mindboggling.

Today’s highlight shows Carr dunking from the free throw line.

This is something that most NBA players can’t even do but Carr looks like he is able to do this with ease and had the whole gym rocking in the video.

Coen Carr is one of four players joining the Michigan State Basketball program this season, joining five-stars Xavier Booker and Jeremy Fears as well as four-star Gehrig Normand. According to 247Sports, he is the No. 31 player in the class and No. 7 at his position. Carr was not always ranked this high, but his ranking skyrocketed during his senior season as he vastly improved his game.

Michigan State’s 2023 class is one of Tom Izzo’s best ever. The Spartans class is No. 4 in the country and is the best in the Big Ten. Each freshman will be ready to play day one and will mesh perfectly with the returning players.

What will Coen Carr do next? My guess is we won’t have to wait too long to see his next high-flying dunk shock the internet. He’s going to tear the roof off of Breslin next year.

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BB RECRUITING

Michigan State basketball makes top 7 for 4-star PF/C Tyler McKinley

MSU and Ohio State are the only Big Ten teams to make the cut.

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Michigan State basketball
© Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports

Michigan State basketball has made the cut for one of the top 10 centers in the 2024 class, four-star Tyler McKinley.

Michigan State basketball is in the running for one of the top centers in the 2024 class as four-star Tyler McKinley released his top seven schools on Monday afternoon.

McKinley, originally from Cincinnati, Ohio, is currently playing high school ball in Missouri and has become one of the top 10 centers in the 2024 class. He’ll be choosing between MSU, Ohio State, Cincinnati, Xavier, Virginia Tech, Alabama, and Tennessee. That’s quite the mixed bag as there are SEC teams, Big Ten teams, an ACC team, and some prominent local teams from where he grew up.

Tom Izzo will have to fight hard for this commitment.

The 6-foot-9, 220-pound center is ranked No. 60 overall in the 2024 class and he’s the 10th-best at the position. With his frame, he may translate more to a power forward at the next level and he could complement Jesse McCulloch in the post.

McCulloch also projects as a power forward so this would be an interesting target for Izzo if he were to make a heavy push here.

Flory Bidunga is likely the Spartans’ top center target in the 2024 class, but it looks like Indiana has a lead there while Cincinnati is also in the running.

Michigan State’s 2024 recruiting class currently ranks No. 10 in the nation after landing McCulloch and four-star wing Kur Teng this spring. Adding another top-60 recruit to the class would just be another sign that Izzo still has it and he’s not “washed” like some rival fans claimed a year ago.

McKinley doesn’t currently have a visit to Michigan State scheduled, but I’d assume that he sets some officials before making a final decision.

I’d expect the 2024 Michigan State basketball recruiting class to be three or four players deep.

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